Damn Uppity Elf Maids
by PrincessMnMz
Summary: Or why Thorin knew he should have refused any help from Soleil and escaped from her "help". Thorin x OC
1. Chapter 1

_AN – This starts during at the end of the scene with the trolls. It's more movie-verse than book. Though, I can't really remember what happened during the lines and stuff because I got so into the movie that they I wasn't paying attention to remembering the lines. I will try to do my best and follow the lines. Though, I may change it up a little bit to fit in with my plot._

"Why'd you come back now," Thorin asked of Gandalf.

"I was told that you were about to do something very dumb," Gandalf answered. The other dwarves had been listening and gasped in surprised, while Thorin looked angry.

"What," his voice was completely devoid of emotion.

"That wasn't my words," Gandalf was quick to try to correct the dwarf king, knowing what his tone of voice meant.

"Then who's were they," Thorin challenged.

"They were mine," a figure that none had previously seen appeared from behind a true on a coal black mare. It was a small horse with a delicate looking bone structure. She tossed her head, as if greeting the group. The figure was dressed completely in black, and a black cloak put the rider's face into shadow. The low voice was clearly female.

"And who the devil are you?" Thorin asked, none to politely. He wasn't too keen on being called stupid.

The figure gave a short laugh as she swung down off of her mount. She landed on the ground almost silently, her black leather boots masking any sound she would have made. "Someone who has to look out for you." She walked forward, leaving the reins around the horse's neck, who bent down to nibble at the sparse grass in the clearing. She wasn't dressed in common clothes for any female. Even the few female dwarfs who were warriors dressed in a more feminine manner. And poor Bilbo, used only to the Hobbit woman, had never seen a woman in such a masculine outfit. The woman wore black leggings over which was a black tunic, belted at the waist with a black belt. Underneath was a loose cotton shirt, black, of course. She was wearing black leather gloves.

"That doesn't answer my question," Thorin grumbled a bit taken back, he was used to being instantly obeyed. "And what do you mean, 'watch over me'?"

"Actually," the figure approached Thorin, her face still masked. "It does. You didn't ask me what my name was, just who I was. Which was a very bad question, as I am a lot of things. And for your second question, I promised someone I would look after you. You know, protect you from doing anything stupid."

"Who did you make that promise to," Gandalf was the one to ask this question.

"I am not at liberty to say. At the time though, I didn't realize he would take me so seriously when I promised to repay him in any way. I wasn't really lost after all. I would have found my way out of the caves eventually. Nor did I think he would ask me to do something that would put me in such an awkward place. Damn promises are going to get me in a lot of trouble one day." Towards the end of the statement it appeared that she was talking more to herself than Thorin.

"Well, if you're supposed to be protecting him why did you get Gandalf." Fili challenged.

The figure laughed. "I am good, Master Dwarf. But not that good. I couldn't be sure that if I got involved then all of you would get out alive. Next time though, I could just charge in without paying mind to the consequences, if you'd like."

Thorin cut in, "Now, for my first question. Who are –" he cut off remembering her first answer, "What's your name?" He corrected himself.

"Very good, King Oakenshield." All could hear the smile in her voice. "You may call me Soleil."

"That's elvish," Gandalf stated.

"Correct," Soleil answered. "It means sun."

"Aren't you a little small to be an elf," Bilbo asked, the question escaping. It was true though. Soleil wasn't quite as tall as Thorin. Admittedly, Thorin was tall for a dwarf. (**Also the dwarves are going to be slightly taller in my story. I apologize if this upsets anyone but I can only make Soleil so small. She is an elf after all.)**

"You'll find many things about me, belie my ancestry, Master Hobbit," the woman replied kindly as she turned towards to the now cowering hobbit. "Now, you are at an advantage above me. For you know my name. What are yours?" She addressed the rest of the group. Her voice was friendly.

Ignoring Thorin's disapproving glare, they hurried to introduce themselves. When Kili introduced himself, the woman gasped softly. Her hands balling into fists at her sides. Thorin watched curiously, wondering what could have caused such a reaction.

"A pleasure to meet you, Kili," her voice sounded forced.

"And this is our burglar," Kili continued, when it became apparent Bilbo wasn't going to introduce himself. "He's Bilbo Baggins." The cloaked head nodded towards him.

"Why do you cover your face?" Gandalf questioned Soleil.

The figure shrugged carelessly. "It usually helps to get people to take me seriously. And the unknown often causes fear. "

"Well, we take you seriously," the wizard started, before he could finish however, Soleil laughed cheerfully.

"Of course." She reached up and pulled her hood back, shaking midnight black hair free of the loose knot it had been in. The previously covered up sight brought gasps of shock from the company, even the unflappable Gandalf looked stunned. Since Soleil was an elf, there was no way to tell how old she was exactly. However, if she had been a human she wouldn't have been more than twenty-one. Her features were flawless. Her eyes were just as black as her hair with a mischievous sparkle that majority of the company had seen in Kili's eyes right before they found an unpleasant surprise. She had a slight tan that told of spending hours in the sun. Her lips were full and pink. Her upper cheeks and across had a spattering of brown freckles, which only added to her youthful appearance.

It was Kili to ask the question that was one everyone's minds. "How old are you?"

"I only know that I'm over five hundred years old. Beyond that, it's anyone's guess." She paused, then seeing the confused look on the others' faces she continued. "I don't have any memories beyond about five hundred years ago. I just remembering waking up and being this way." She ran her hand through her hair, revealing for a moment the pointed ears which marked her as an elf.

"Do you expect us to believe that?" Thorin's distrust for elves out weighing his curiousity.

"It matters not to me if you believe or not. I made a promise that I intend to keep. Whether or not you enjoy it is up to you and is of little consequence to me," for the first time, Thorin got the idea that maybe Soleil was not one to be trifled with lightly. However, his anger was growing at this "upstart" of an elf. He was a dwarfish king after all.

"We have not asked for your protection. Nor do we need it. So, perhaps you should go back to whatever tree you have crawled out of, _elf_." Thorin spat at Soleil. Her gaze hardened and the others of the group wished that their leader had held his tongue. Even Gandalf looked slightly unsettled.

Soleil walked over to where Thorin stood. She paused only a few inches away from him. She had to look up slightly to meet his eyes, but she still looked intimidating. "I will do no such thing. And I suggest that you hold your tongue, _dwarf._" Her tone held the same amount of contempt that Thorin's had when he had called her an elf. "I made a promise. And I never break a promise. Now, I promised to protect you. I never said that you would be comfortable while I was doing it."

Thorin's company hoped fervently that the king wouldn't continue. However, Thorin refused to back down. "Are you threatening me?" His voice suspiciously calm. Soleil stepped back, laughing.

"I would never lower myself to threaten someone," she replied as she turned her back on the king and moved to her horse. She pulled herself into the saddle with no effort, as she swung her right leg over the back of the saddle, she turned back to Thorin. "I warn or promise. Never threaten." Still laughing, she nudged the mare. The horse faded silently into the woods surrounding the trolls' glade, Soleil's laughter still echoing in the woods.

Kili, noting the glare that his uncle was still giving the area of woods that Soleil rode off into, decided to have a little fun. "I have to admit, I'll sleep much easier knowing that she's watching over us. Don't you agree, Fili?"

Fili, catching onto what Kili was doing (and whole-heartedly agreeing), joined in. "Of course. Does this mean that I get a shorter watch and a longer time to sleep, Uncle Thorin?"

Thorin turned quickly to glare at his two nephews. "If she is determined to _protect_ us," his voice clearly stating that he didn't think that Soleil would be much help, "then we will ignore her. We don't have to have anything to do with her. We don't mention her. We don't even think about her. That goes especially for you Kili and Fili. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Fili said, while Kili definitely held his uncle's glare for a moment or two before giving in. Thorin continued, "Good. Now, that this matter of business is over, we have more important things to attend to." As he spoke, a huge black animal detached itself from the shadow of the woods. It resembled a large cat and bounded over to the brothers. Kili quickly aimed an arrow, but as quick as he was, the animal was quicker. It went behind him and poked it's head out from beneath his legs, looking up at him with friendly eyes. All the dwarves looked at the cat-like animal with surprise.

"Where did _that_ come from," Gloin asked. The animal looked at him baring its teeth. Then it walked around Kili's leg and sat leaning against his side, gazing up at him with adoring eyes. (**Trust me if you've never had a pet, animals can totally look adoring. I'm a sucker for those eyes. For those who do have pets, they will know exactly what I'm talking about.)** Kili replaced the arrow and rubbed the animal behind its ears.

"I think it might belong to her-who-shall-not-be-mentioned." Kili said completely deadpan, the mischievous sparkle that the dwarves had noticed in Soleil's eyes brightening his chocolate brown eyes. Fili was suddenly struck by a coughing fit, as was Gandalf and several other of the dwarves. Thorin, who was completely unconvinced by their sudden ailment, glanced disparagingly at them.

"I suppose that we can't kill it," he said, sounding as if he wished very much to kill the animal.

"Killing it would probably be very unwise," Gandalf agreed, gaining control of himself.

"Please stop referring to Ibenholt as **(Ibenholt is Norwegian for Ebony, at least it is according to Google translate.)** an it. She probably doesn't like it very much." Kili said, still rubbing the giant cat, still the glint in his eye.

"Please tell me that you didn't name it," Thorin said to his nephew.

Fili jumped to his brother's defense, "I think that Ibenholt is a great name for her. It fits. I rather like it. Anyone disagree." There was no comments from any of the surrounding group. "Then Ibenholt she is." He knelt down to pet the animal who purred at the added attentions. The sound seemed to vibrate through the entire glade.

"May the gods save me from foolish nephews," Thorin grumbled. Even as he said this, another animal came strolling into the glade. It was completely black, of course, though this one looked like a dog, though the way it moved reminded the group of a wolf. It sat in front of Thorin, it's head cocked to the side as if assessing the king.

"This is ridiculous," the king protested.

Fili, taking Kili's mode of attack, quickly commented on the new comer. "I think that we should call him Svart Helten."

Dwalin snorted, "Black Hero. Svart Djevelen would be more likely."

Kili jumped the dog's defense. "Black Devil. That's just rude. However, it does sound better then Svart Helten, Fili. As long as we understand that it's only because the name sounds nice. I don't think that taken literally it would fit him."

"That is enough," Thorin thundered, his voice silencing everyone. "I want everyone to get their things together immediately. Whoever is not ready in five minutes will be left behind." With that the king stalked off into the woods, back to the camp grounds. Grumbling about elf maids who were to uppity for their own good.

**So like it? Hate it? Please review with any comments, constructive criticism or any thoughts. I really do appreciate it. **

**And it makes me update faster. If anyone's interested.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN – Thanks for all the reviews/followers/favorites. I can't tell you how happy they make me. There were a couple of things I want to address. First, someone pointed out that Anon was the elvish word for Sun. This will definitely come in later. However, for the plot, I needed another name that meant Sun. I had read that the elves used several different languages or dialects, somewhere. So, if everyone could just pretend that Soleil is the word for Sun in a lesser known elven dialect, that would be great. The second point, some people said that they'd like to know where the plot is going. I promise you that I am going somewhere with this. Really. It's just going to take a little while to get to Rivendell, where one of the main plots will be introduced. (There's going to be several plots and character developments in this story. It's not just going to be one adventure and some romance.) Thanks again. **

**Disclaimer: Only Soleil, Ibenholt, and Djevelen are mine (for now) the rest belongs to Tolkien.**

**If you can guess this song the next chapter's dedicated to you: "_The things you say / they hit me with a right sometimes / hit me with a left sometimes / but I'm still standing / for us / you make me dream sometimes / make me wanna scream sometimes / I'd never give you up._**

Chapter 2

Thorin was in a very bad mood. Ever since the company had started out after the incident with the trolls, Kili and Fili had been finding plenty of ways to mention Soliel without seeming to. Almost every sentence out of their mouths had a double meaning. A double meaning so obvious, that even Ori could pick up on it. Thorin was the only one who find the situation not amusing. He was so annoyed in fact, that the only thing keeping him from knocking his nephews over the head and leaving them behind was the fact that he would eventually have to face his sister. Dis could strike fear into the hearts of the bravest warriors, and Thorin was no exception.

Everyone else, found the brothers' antics amusing. Gandalf even joined in a bit. Finally, Thorin could take no more. He could make a slight exception for his nephews, they were after all quite young for dwarves. A wizard, especially one as aged and respected as Gandalf, should know better. And he himself was the king of dwarves, not a position to be taken lightly. He was, Thorin thought, due a certain amount of respect due to that position. "Enough," he roared.

"If you two say one more word, I will send both of you home. Now that Soleil is going to be following us, I won't be needing you, Kili, since I'm sure that she's just as skilled, if not more so, in the use of the bow as you. And since I couldn't send you off by yourself, Fili would be forced to accompany you. The same goes for you, Fili. I'm sure your skills at tracking could be supplemented by Soleil and her pets."

"Yes, uncle," the brothers answered in unison before turning to each other to flash identical grins.

"I think that she's gotten under someone's skin. I wonder what that could possibly mean," Kili mumbled to Fili with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. Unfortunately, Fili couldn't contain his snort of laughter and his uncle heard it. (Truth be told, Thorin had been straining his ears to catch a sound from his nephews.)

"Kili, I want you up at the front of the line," he told his youngest nephew. The young dwarf nudged his pony gently, speeding up its plodding walk. Fili made a move to follow his brother. "Not you, Fili. Just Kili."

"But," both brothers stopped their horses and looked at their uncle. They were rarely separated, and never by choice. And even being separated by the group they were traveling with seemed to much in their minds.

"I heard quite a couple sounds from where you were. Since I don't want to have to sort out the supplies for sending you home currently, I'm doing the next best thing. Until I can attend to that business, you two will be separated. Now, Kili, front of the line." His tone booked no room for argument and Kili reluctantly made his way to the front of the line, glaring at his uncle.

Ibenholt, picking up on Kili's emotional state towards his uncle, growled at Thorin as followed Kili. (She had refused leave the youngest dwarf's side since she had arrived.) Unfortunately for Thorin, it worked too well, scaring the king's pony. As Thorin struggled to get his mount under control, he mumbled loudly enough for those closest to him to hear. "Even when she's gone, she's making my life miserable." Balin and Dwalin shared grins.

Djevelen, whose name had been shortened within the first five minutes, sat patiently out of the pony's hooves, waiting for Thorin to regain control. The dog like creature had taken to Thorin in much the same way Ibenholt had taken to Kili, refusing to leave the king's side. Of course, Djevelen didn't have the same adoring look as the cat had. Thorin was sure that the dog was looking at him with condescending expressions. (A suspicion to which Balin had told Thorin that he was imagining things.)

"What are you looking at," he snarled at the dog. The animal, unsurprisingly, didn't respond except to cock his head to the side, as if asking "_Now what are you doing? You dumb dwarf." _(At least, in Thorin's mind that was what the dog was saying.)

"Uncle," Fili asked innocently as he passed the almost calm pony. "What would have done if he had responded?"

"All right, I'm shutting up," Fili said on seeing his uncle's face. And he did, for ten blissful (in Thorin's opinion) minutes. Then, he and Kili decided on carrying a conversation. This normally wouldn't have been a problem or out of the ordinary, except for the fact that Kili was at the front of the line and Fili was second to last.

Their conversation was completely harmless – meaning there was absolutely no mention of Soleil. However, Thorin's nerves were completely shot and his temper completely frayed. His voice went devoid of any emotion, "One more word." All talking dwarves heeded their leader's words and stopped talking.

The next hour was silent except for the sound of the ponies' hooves and the occasional cough or sneeze. Thorin's poor mind kept catching glimpses of Soleil's black clothes or her horse's coat out of the corner of his eye, however, when he turned it would disappear. Leaving nothing except the dark tree bark that had actually caught Thorin's eye. Muttering to himself he would stare ahead until a shadow would convince him that the elf maiden was in the bushes. "That elf is going to be the death of me," he growled to Djevelen. The dog's reaction was to look at the dwarf curiously before returning his attention to the road ahead.

"Uncle, are you feeling okay? You look," Fili searched for the right word. Then a grin spread across his handsome features, "infected. It could be worms." He sounded completely innocent, as if he really was worried about his uncle's health.

It was, to the surprise of all, Bilbo who joined in. "I hear that dwarves get big ones. Quite possibly the biggest you've ever seen." Kili laughed on hearing Bilbo reiterate his statement from the previous night.

"If nephews or hobbits don't do it first," he added to his previous statement.

At this moment, Ibenholt become extremely agitated. She let out several soft hisses before opening her mouth and letting loose a roar that startled all the of the group. Kili especially, because he was riding right next to her. His pony reared up, and he fell off. Ibenholt, however, took no notice, completely occupied with whatever only she could sense. Djevelen loped up to where the other animal was and put his nose up in the air. Catching whatever scent had upset Ibenholt, he bared his teeth and snarled a warning to whatever was daring to approach.

"Prepare your weapons," Thorin told his band of dwarves. Bilbo drew his new blade, noting that it stayed normal. Whatever was out there, it wasn't orcs. Bilbo didn't know whether to be relieved or worried. He couldn't imagine anything worse than orcs, but after all, he was only a simple hobbit who had never left the Shire before. He rarely went past Bag-End. And, his imagination, sharpened by all the books he had read, was more than capable to think up horrible creatures with the taste for hobbit meat.

Djevelen let loose one bark and Ibenholt jumped up onto an overhanging rock, hidden from view. The dog returned to his place next to Thorin, where he assumed a position of attadck, ready to spring at whoever came out of the woods.

When the invader finally revealed himself, no one was expecting what they saw. Except perhaps for Gandalf, whom never seemed to be surprised by anything. Besides the occasional warrior elf maiden who appeared out of nowhere and was capable of reducing the king of dwarves to a babbling teenager. One who was meeting the first female after emerging from puberty, Gandalf added in his mind. He was sure that Ori could have carried on a better conversation with Soleil. And Ori couldn't even think of Soleil with blushing bright red.

"Radagast," Gandalf greeted the odd looking wizard.

Before anything else could happen, Ibenholt, who had been quite forgotten, leaped down from her perch, roaring at the newcomers. Poor Radagast nearly had a heart attack, as did Bilbo, whom the giant cat had leapt over in her attempt to protect Thorin and company. She snapped at several of the rabbits who had pulled Radagast's sled but didn't harm any (beyond making them _very_ nervous). She paced back and forth, growling and tossing her head as if daring any to approach.

"What type of animal is that?" Radagast asked, looking as closely as he dared at the snarling cat.

"We don't exactly know," Gandalf admitted. "Could you please call her off, Kili?" Gandalf knew that none of the others stood a chance of making the cat back down. He wasn't even certain that she would listen to Kili, she looked absolutely feral now.

"Ibenholt," Kili called to the animal. "Come to me." He sounded quite confident, but was having thoughts very close to Gandalf's. She had completely transformed from the friendly cat that had pranced through the ranks of the dwarves, purring and leaping playfully from rock to rock. To the surprise of all, she did come. After snapping one last time at the nearest rabbit, she trotted to Kili's side, still watching Radagast and his rabbits.

Djevelen didn't relax from his ready position, rather, he looked from at Thorin as if questioning what he should do. The dwarf, not used to dealin with animals that seemed as intelligent as some of his company, (at least more so than his damned nephews) was at a loss. "Uhh…stand down," he hoped would do the trick. The only animals that he was truly used to were ponies, which had been used by dwarves for as long as any could remember.

It seemed to Thorin that the animal rolled his eyes, but Djevelen did sit down. He was still loose and looked able to spring at Radagast if the need arose.

As soon as Radagast brought out the sword he had found however both of Soleil's animals become agitated. Ibenholt hid between Kili's legs hissing and snarling at the weapon. Even Djevelen had his tail between his legs and retreated several feet before starting to whimper. A strange keening sound came from his throat that caused the entire company to feel the shivers running up and down their spines. Ibenholt had since started rubbing herself on the ground, as if trying to bury herself in it.

"Put that away," Gandalf commanded the other wizard. As soon as the sword had been covered the animals calmed down, to the point of Djevelen starting to approach Radagast slowly with his teeth bared.

"Stop that," Thorin commanded the dog without thinking. The animal instantly stopped moving, his teeth still bared in a snarl.

"Well," Gandalf said slowly, staring at the animals, "those reactions confirm that there is something evil with this sword. We must take care that it does not fall into the wrong hands."

"I was hoping that you would take it," Radagast said nervously. "I don't want that thing in my forest. There are quite enough problems without it." He abruptly changed the subject, something that he did quite often. "Where did you get these animals? I just remembered that I have heard of animals like this in the forest lately. Though, I was told that they accompanied a woman, an elf as a matter of fact. She is quite respectful of the forest and it rather likes her."

"They were with an elf. Up until very early this morning. Then they began accompanying us. Probably to keep Thorin from doing anything stupid." Gandalf's tone was lacking any humor, which Kili and Fili both thought meant he was laughing on the inside. (They were right.) Gandalf preceded to tell Radagast the story of how they had come by the accompaniment of the two animals, while Thorin growled to himself.

Djevelen had moved to the back of the group while Gandalf told his tale; searching the air for something, his ears pricked up. Suddenly, he barked sharply, alerting the dwarves to something out there.

**(If anyone could tell me who had been keeping watch when the wargs came – that would be awesome. Since part of my next chapter deals with that scene. )**

**I hoped you all liked. Can't wait to hear what you thought of it.**

**Please read and review because reviews make me happy, give me inspiration, and encourage me to update faster so I can get more of them.**

**PrincessMnMz**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN - Thank you to I 3filikili for answering my question.**

**Sci-Fy-Fanatic: I don't really know how to pronounce Djevelen's name, I was just fooling around with names on Google Translate that looked cool and I liked the way it looked so, Djevelen the dog became. P.S. – Thanks for your patience.**

Chapter 3

The dwarves were not kept in suspense of what Djevelen had smelt. Almost as soon as they noticed the dog's behavior, a howl was carried to them on the wind. The howl itself seemed to fill the hearts of the listeners with despair and horror. Even Bilbo, who had never heard a warg before, knew that nothing good would come of meeting with the animal capable of making that sound.

"Was that a wolf?" He asked, hoping that he was right. Compared to the monsters that his mind had come up with, a wolf would have been welcome.

Before the hobbit could be given an answer, a warg came leaping down the hill in the distance. "We've got to get out of here," Thorin cried to the company.

Fili came back from going to get the ponies. Empty handed. "The ponies bolted." The despair that had been filling the company grew infinitely.

Gandalf, all too often the bearer of bad news, told the group a bit of news that none wanted to hear. "Thorin, you do realize that there's going to be a group of orcs with these?"

"Yes," Thorin said impatiently. "I know that. But there's not much to be done. Except go down fighting. Men, get ready."

"I can draw them off," Radagast volunteered.

"Those are wargs," Dwalin said, his tone suggesting that Radagast had taken leave of his senses. "They'll run you down in no time."

Radagast looked offended. "These are Ruskabel rabbits. I'd like to see them try." With that, the wizard took off, calling to his rabbits.

"Wait for a moment," Gandalf held the dwarves back, giving Radagast time to draw the orcs and wargs away. For a few minutes, the dwarves and Bilbo held so still that any passing would have mistaken them for statues. None dared even to breathe for fear of attracting the attention of the orcs or their mounts.

"Go now," Gandalf told them, pointing towards the outcropping of rock that would provide them shelter from their pursuers. The fourteen plus Ibenholt and Djevelen made their way quickly across the open plains, the adrenaline rush that follows finding out that you're being chased by a pack of angry wargs and orcs aiding their flight.

"Fat lot of help those witch animals are," Dwalin puffed to the others.

"I'm sure that they'll help us," Kili defended them. "When they can."

"Don't waste your breath," Thorin commanded the talking dwarves. "Obviously, we're on our own."

"At this moment," Kili refused to give up on Ibenholt, his new best friend. The dwarves paused behind another rock, barely avoiding getting caught by the orcs.

"The least she could do is show up to see us get killed," Thorin mumbled bitterly to Gandalf.

"Don't give up hope just yet, Thorin," the wizard told the dwarf. Gandalf had been having similar thoughts only moments before, but he had started picking up on certain signs from Soleil's "witch" animals, as Dwalin had so kindly described them. Djevelen had kept looking to the east, which was neither the direction that the orcs were coming from nor the direction that the dwarves were headed in, and his tail had even wagged a few times. "I think that you may be surprised."

A nasally voice chimed in, "Oh, you'll be surprised all right." The company looked up to see the ugly faces of a warg and its rider peering over the rock that they were hiding behind.

Even as Kili let out a surprised yelp, he strung and shot an arrow at the huge warg. It fell off the rock, his rider leaping clear and landing with his sword drawn; ready to attack. Then, he fell over, a black shafted arrow sticking out his back.

Thorin looked up and saw a black horse with a caped rider in the distance. Already she, for Thorin knew it was Soleil, was in the process of taking down another pair of warg and orc. When he turned back, Gloin was taking his axe out of the warg's body, having finished it off. Unfortunately, a dying warg a loud racket in protesting the end of life. The noise caused by the now dead warg alerted the others to the location of Thorin and company.

"Run," Gandalf yelled before taking off across the plains no longer bothering with trying to stay hidden. Radagast was forgotten and the entire warg pack turned to get the dwarves. Even though dwarves are very fast sprinters and can move quickly over short distances, the wargs were better suited to a prolonged chase. Also, the wargs had had full nights of sleep and hadn't been in a fight with trolls that morning. In other words, the dwarves were rapidly losing ground.

From the east, Soleil was urging her horse to greater speeds as the pair made their way to the dwarves. While moving, she shot a few more orcs and wargs. Her aim was never off and many feel to her black arrows. Soon, she drew up alongside the dwarves, slowing her mount down to a steady canter.

"I can't even leave you for under twenty-four hours and you get into trouble." She looked back. "A whole warg pack. Really? You have powerful enemies."

"You think I didn't realize that," Thorin asked, none too politely. "And where were you? I thought that you were supposed to be protecting me."

"I had things to attend to. I can't drop everything because you decided to go on a quest," she snapped. Turning back, she shot a riderless warg. Two more tripped on the still moving carcass. When Thorin looked ahead, he noticed that Gandalf had disappeared. He wasn't the only one either. Several of the dwarves no longer saw the wizard and were all commenting on the fact.

When he turned back, Soleil had already pulled her horse away, and moved into a position behind the dwarves. She had drawn a sword from its sheath on her side. Her mount had slowed down to a trot, though it was still keeping pace easily with the last dwarf in line, which happened to be Ori. Even as Thorin noticed Ori struggling to keep up with them, a warg was preparing to leap on the young dwarf. Thorin yelled a warning to Ori, but he knew even then that it was too late. Yet, as Ori turned around, Soleil had spurred her horse forward and managed to slice into the warg's thick neck, killing it instantly.

At this moment, Gandalf appeared from seemingly nowhere and called the dwarves to come with him. When they arrived to where he was standing, they found that Gandalf had uncovered a passageway beneath one of the piles of rock. Thorin made sure that all of his company got under before he slid down himself, he had to physically push Kili down the edge. Before going himself, he turned and saw that Soleil was now in hand to hand combat with an orc, her horse nipping at the warg with its dull teeth then nimbly dancing out of the way when it tried to retaliate.

"Thorin," Balin called, "get down here. I'm sure that she can take care of herself."

The last thing the dwarf king saw before sliding down was Djevelen and Ibenholt leaping at a warg. For some reason, he wasn't surprised that the only time that they were really helping was when Soleil had showed up. A horn sounded, pulling him from his thoughts and soon following the sound, a dead orc fell down the entrance way, a white arrow with blue feathers sticking out of its throat.

"Elves," Thorin said, inspecting the arrow. The group moved farther back to where Dwalin had found a passageway in the back.

"Should we go," Fili asked, gesturing in the direction of the narrow corridor. Thorin only nodded.

"What about Soleil," Kili protested. "And Ibenholt and Djevelen. We can't just leave them behind."

"She'll be fine," Gandalf told the young dwarf. "I'm sure that she knows how to take care of herself. We must move forward." So saying, the wizard took the lead. The narrow corridor went on for about ten minutes before finally ending to reveal a beautiful area with waterfalls and an Elvin palace.

"Welcome to Rivendell," Gandalf told the group. Bilbo's jaw had dropped looking around at the amazing place, and even some of the dwarves had shock written on their faces. Thorin glared angrily at Gandalf, willing to bet that Gandalf had known exactly where the passage came out at. Gandalf took the lead.

"This will require no small amount of tact, and charm," Gandalf told Thorin and the rest of the company. "Which is why, you will leave the talking to me." **(I couldn't remember exactly what he said, but this line was just so Gandalf that I needed to put it in. I always loved the part in LOTR where he told Pippin not to talk and was laughing so hard during the Hobbit when he said basically the same thing to Thorin.) **Thorin growled a response that no one could quite understand; Fili and Kili decided that it was probably better that way.

As they approached the stairs that would lead them into the main area of the Elvin palace, a beautiful creature came down to meet him. Bilbo wasn't sure if the being actually walked or if he had floated down the stairs, the figure had moved so gracefully. In the most common language of the elves, Gandalf greeted the being, before asking something.

"Lord Elrond is not here," Lindir answered, Gandalf's inquiry.

"Where is he?" Gandalf pressed. "It's important that we speak to him." Even as Gandalf asked this question, the sound of hooves could be heard approaching behind the dwarves. When the company turned, they saw a long line of elves riding up one of the narrow bridges leading to where the dwarves were standing. Bilbo stared in awe at the magnificent beings approaching him. On horseback, the elves were at least three times higher than the hobbit.

Suddenly, his view was blocked as he was completely surrounded by the dwarves who had drawn the weapons and were standing ready to attack. Standing on tip toes, Bilbo was able to catch glances of faces. Gandalf looked annoyed by the dwarves' behavior, while Elrond looked amused if anything. The other elves didn't look quite as forgiving as the lord, and that worried Bilbo.

"Lord Elrond," Gandalf greeted the dismounting king.

"Gandalf," the elf responded before switching into his own language. Bilbo saw the faces of the dwarf company become even more distrustful. After a few moments, which seemed to stretch on for eternity for Bilbo, Elrond reverted to using the common tongue. "We haven't had orcs come this close to Rivendell, before. It was almost as if they were searching for something."

"I'm afraid that we might have had something to do with that," Gandalf admitted. He looked somewhat sheepish.

"Thorin Oakenshield," Lord Elrond greeted the head dwarf. "I ran into a friend of yours. She has accompanied us back." Thorin turned sharply to see Soleil in the back of the company of elves. She was still mounted and Djevelen and Ibenholt were standing next to her mount. On seeing Thorin turn to her, she dismounted smoothly. Thorin noticed that she had changed since their last meeting. She had replaced her tunic and leggings with a black dress. As she got closer, Thorin was able to pick up on the intricate embroidery (black of course) that decorated the dress. Her hood had fallen back and he saw that she was wearing a black diamond necklace. The intricacy of it didn't fail to interest him, the love of precious gems and respect for good craftsmanship of said jewels ran just as deep in Thorin as it did in any dwarf.

"So," she said, "you managed to escape. I wasn't sure if you went down the passage or if you had been shot down. Even I don't linger when I am in plain sight of orcs and their bows." She said it with such a tone of boredom that one might have thought that she said that the weather was to her liking. Only Kili was able to pick up on the strange gleam in her eye. He didn't have much time to contemplate what it meant before Ibenholt leapt at him, nearly knocking the dwarf down when she tried to lick his face.

Elrond, who had been talking to Gandalf, now spoke something in Elvin to the dwarves. Gloin, ever ready to take offense was the first to respond. "Did he just insult us?"

"No," Gandalf laughed. "He offered you dinner." The dwarves turned in on themselves and had a brief meeting.

"Then," Gloin said. "Lead on."

"Perhaps you would like to freshen up first," Elrond suggested politely. "After all, the meal will take some time to prepare." A male elf came forward to lead the dwarves to a set of rooms where they were to stay. Another elf came to take Soleil's mount to the stables. When she refused to part with the horse, the elf instead gave her directions to where the animal would stay so that Soleil could properly take care of it.

Elrond pulled Gandalf to the side. "I admit, I am curious to what you are doing with the dwarves and what journey they are on. However, the girl that rides with them is what interests me the most. Who is she?"

"I have absolutely no idea," Gandalf told the elf. "We know very little of her. We only met her officially very early this morning. Though, it seems that she has been following us, or at least Thorin, for a while now. She's an elf. And, she did tell us that she suffers from a sort of amnesia. She said that she can't remember anything before five hundred years ago. She's an interesting person from what I can tell about her."

Elrond looked at the retreating figure intently. "She fought quite well. I have no doubt that she could have fought the entirety of the orcs and wargs out there. And quite possibly have won."

"Yes," Gandalf agreed. "I'm sure that she has a talent that we can have no idea of. Now, would you happen to have a place where an old man can rest for a time?"

Elrond laughed as he lead Gandalf to a set of rooms reserved for the wizard. "Gandalf, you will never have the disabilities of an old man. You only look your age. Nothing more." With that, the two friends made their way into the palace, never dreaming what secrets were hidden deep inside the elvish maid.

**Okay, so here's the annoying AN that nobody wants to read. We've now made it to Rivendell. In the next chapter there will come a BIG revelation about Soleil's identity. And maybe some other secrets revolving around her. I didn't particularly like this chapter, but I needed something to get to Rivendell and I didn't think that I could just jump in time. (No matter how much I wanted to.) I promise, next chapter's going to be much better. Please take a few minutes to review. Any suggestions or ideas are welcomed as always. **


	4. Chapter 4

**AN – Thanks for all the reviews.**

**Disclaimer only Soleil, Ibenholt, Djevelen and Celebwing.**

The dinner prepared by the elves was delicious, if one was a vegetarian. The dwarves, unfortunately, were not. There was some fish but even that could not satisfy the dwarves hunger for a nice juicy steak, or a plump roast boar. It wasn't that the elves were purposefully trying to cause the dwarves discomfort. Elves rarely ate meat during the summer months. If the company had come late in the year, they would have had a feast of meat that even they couldn't have found fault with. As it was,

"I don't like green food," Ori complained.

"Just eat it," Nori commanded his young brother. Making a face at the vegetables, Ori did as he was told.

"It won't kill you," Soleil said, startling all at the table due to the fact that she had approached unnoticed. "In fact, it apparently causes one to grow and become a fully formed adult."

"Maybe you should eat more of it Kili," Fili urged his brother. "You might finally get that scruff of yours to grow into a real beard." He fingered one of his own braids.

Before Kili could respond, Soleil spoke, stopping the argument before it could begin. "No; that would be a drink that comes from a land far to the south of here. The natives call it _kafay_, according to them it causes one's hair to grow. It's also quite addictive. I could never drink it, I found the taste to be far to bitter." She made a face of disgust.

"Is it possible to get some of this for my brother? His beard, or lack thereof, is quite distressing to him. And due to that, I am forced to hear of it constantly." Fili mock sighed. Then let out a real groan of pain when Kili elbowed him sharply in the side.

"Like I said, it's native land is far to the south. However, once this quest is over, I will take you to that place. If you still want to when the time comes. I promise you," her eyes softened, "it's like nothing you've ever seen before. It's a land of beauty and harshness. In fact, you'll find it to be full of contrasts."

Gandalf finally took notice of the late comer. "Lady Soleil, a seat has been saved for you at our table." He gestured to the remaining place at the table he, Elrond, and Thorin were seated at. As she made her way over to the small table, all the males took the time to admire her.

She was clothed in an Elvin dress, which had been quickly tailored to fit her small stature. It was a blue dress over a white petticoat which was visible through a split in the very middle of the skirt. White embroidery decorated the bodice of the gown. Her dark brown hair, almost black, had blue ribbons woven in it. She was still wearing her black diamond necklace, but instead of resting on the higher neckline of her black dress, it laid on the pale skin of her chest, left bare by the lower cut of current dress.

"My lady," Elrond rose to greet her as she made it to the table. Thorin followed the elf's lead as well. He covered up the surprise he was feeling with a look of boredom. He would never have suspected that the warrior maiden who had so easily fought orcs and wargs would ever be able to carry herself so that she fit perfectly in the Elvin palace of Rivendell. Well, any Elvin palace for that matter.

If he had been pressed for where he had thought Soleil would have most fit in, he would have said as a shield-maiden of Rohan. That was the only place in which he could imagine the warrior maiden would fit. Now, seeing how she conducted herself and even how she looked in the obviously Elvin dress, Thorin could think of no place that she could better belong to. Even without her hair pulled back to reveal her pointed ears, it would have been obvious that she was elf. Were it only for the light in her eyes of something immortal that no man, hobbit, or dwarf could ever hope to understand.

"Lady Soleil," Elrond started, ready to question the elf. He paused when her eyes met his. Never before had he seen such eyes; black as midnight but with gold sparks bubbling up, as if trying to break through a black covering.

"Yes," she prodded gently, a slight smile on her lips. Yet, even in her smile, Elrond could see the falseness of it. And instinctively he knew something about this young elf that not even the dwarves had yet picked up on. He saw that even she didn't know what she was truly feeling. The uncertainty masked behind ever changing expressions and feelings. That her smile was a mask.

"Where is that you come from? I know that you do not know of your childhood," the smile wavered for a moment and the gold seemed to fade in her eyes, "but, after that, you know. Do you not?"

"Yes," in a moment, her impassive smile was back. "However, I have lived many places. I have many homes. One lines to south, near Mordor. Another is closer to Rohan. Those are the two main places that I would call home. I go wherever I wish, though. Years may pass without my visiting either." At the very mention of Mordor, the entirety of Rivendell seemed to darken momentarily.

"You know nothing of your family?" Elrond pressed for more information.

"Nothing. Sometimes something will make me feel a connection to someone. But, I can never remember who that person is. It's caused by a perception of the senses. A smell, a sound, a taste, even the feel of something. But, those times were rare to begin with and are even rare now." It seemed the black was winning the battle in her eyes and that gold was about to fade to nothingness. "But that is because no spell can truly affect a sense. Only the mind and the memories." There was a pause as Elrond once more filed away information about this strange female.

The quiet reigned for a few minutes as Soleil didn't seem inclined to share any more information about herself and the males present felt that she would not take any more question at the time. Gandalf asked Elrond about the swords that they had…liberated…from the trolls' caves. As Elrond told the history behind the swords, the men noticed the distant look that had invaded their fair companion's eyes. Her eyes landed on Kili who was laughing at something Balin had told Bilbo **(next chapter's dedicated to whoever can guess what Balin said)**, and a soft smile, a real smile, turned the corner of her mouth up.

"If you'll excuse me, I find that my excursions today have wearied me more than I had previously thought." Soleil rose abruptly, her male dinner mates standing up as well.

"I hope my lady is not unwell," Elrond asked politely.

"No, no, she- I mean, I am quite well. Just tired." Her voice trailed off to barely more than a whisper. "Extremely tired." She moved quickly out the room and made her way to the room she had been given for the night.

At the table the males (in this case the word "men" would not work, seeing as not even one of them was one of the race) shared a confused look. Thorin was the first to speak. "I don't suppose that's an elf thing." Elrond gave him a look that clearly stated it was not. "I didn't think so."

Dinner soon passed and Elrond, Gandalf, Thorin, and Bilbo retired to a ledge overlooking a river and waterfall to discuss the Thorin's map. Well, at first it was for them to discuss whether or not Elrond would even let Elrond look at the map. After a few minutes of Thorin refusing, Gandalf calling him out on his childish behavior, Bilbo looking confused, and Elrond looking amused, Thorin finally gave in.

Meanwhile, the other dwarves ate and ate some more. It seemed the elves had picked up on their mild distress and had brought out some light sausages and other meats. The dwarves had attacked them ravenously, the previous salads and vegetables apparently making no impact on their appetites. Kili and Fili having eaten their fill decided to explore the palace of Rivendell. They definitely were not trying to find an unsuspecting elf that they could wreck havoc on. Nope. Not in the least.

They made their way to a deserted corridor. It was the longest one they had seen yet and unlike any others that they had seen before due to the fact that one side wasn't open. On the walls, there were pictures of Elfish royals and heroes. One of the pictures was surrounded by a swath of black fabric. Underneath the portrait was a vase of fresh sunflowers.

The portrait was of a beautiful young female elf. She had rich brown hair with golden highlights all through it. Her skin was pale as was normal to her race. Her eyes were downcast, conveying a sense of shyness, which was contrasted by the mischievous smile that pulled the corners of her full pink lips up. She was wearing a white gown and had a beautiful yellow diamond necklace on that was carved in one of the intricate designs that was unique to each elf. In her hands was a large sunflower.

"Who is she?" Kili breathed to Fili.

His older brother shook his head, "I have no idea."

"Her name was Anon," a voice surprised the brothers into turning around. Behind them was another pair of Elvin brothers, obviously twins.

"She was the youngest child of Elrond," the other said.

"Who are you," Fili challenged.

"I am the second son of Elrond," the first introduced himself. "My name is Elladan." He had long dark hair and grey eyes. He was fair to look at, even for an elf.

The other spoke, "And I am Elrond's third son, Elrohir." The second speaker looked exactly like the first. If it weren't for the fact that Elrohir's tunic was green and Elladan's was blue they would be unidentifiable.

"So, she," Kili gestured to the picture, "is your sister?"

"Was," Elrohir corrected. "She died before the beginning of the War of the Ring." Neither dwarf brother could think of something to say. Fortunately for them, the Elfish princes didn't seem to notice. Both stared at the picture of their sister.

"Was she shy?" Fili asked, trying to break the silence.

"Oh, no," both smiled as Elrohir answered. "Looking at that picture one would think so. In reality, she caused the most mischief that Rivendell has ever seen."

"How did she die?" Kili asked.

"Our mother, Queen Celebrían and Anon were kidnapped by Orcs. We were able to rescue our mother. It was too late for Anon," Elladan's face became hard. "She wouldn't have even been considered old for a human. She had only been on this earth for fifteen years." Kili and Fili suddenly understood the looks of utter hatred that marred the elves' handsome faces. By the elves' reckoning, Anon wouldn't be more than a baby.

Kili and Fili looked around, trying not to make eye contact with the elves. They felt like they had to give them a moment of privacy. The largest picture in the hall caught their eyes. The portrait had seven elves in it. Kili and Fili recognized four of the beings in the portrait. Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir, and Anon. Elrohir was the first of elves to regain control of himself.

"The blonde woman is our mother, Queen Celebrían. The blonde male is Celebwing, the crown prince of Rivendell. And the final female is our sister, Arwen. She's the fourth child of Elrond. And his sole remaining daughter. She is quite dear to our father." From the way the girl looked, the portrait was done very closely before or after the first painting that had drawn Fili and Kili's attention. Only this time, Anon's eyes were looking towards the painter. The artist had done such an incredible job were the youngest princess' eyes seemed to follow the viewer. Her eyes were a beautiful golden color.

Bofur appeared at the end of the hallway, "Fili. Kili. Your uncle wants you to retire now. Something about getting a good rest. He wants to leave early."

"Uncle," Elladan repeated. "So, you are royalty yourselves?"

Kili elbowed Fili, indicating he wanted his older brother to take over. Fili, who was wishing that he had been quicker with his own elbow, responded slowly. "Well, since we don't really have a kingdom we're not exactly conventional royalty." On seeing one of each twins' eyebrows rising slowly, he quickly spoke. "Yeah, I guess we would be considered princes. Since we're Thorin's heirs until he gets married and has his own heir."

"Well," Elrohir smiled down at the dwarves. "It was a pleasure to meet dwarves as agreeable as yourselves. Perhaps one day, we will meet again in more leisurely times. As princes to princes." With that, the Elvin twins silently made their way out of the hallway.

"Coming, Bofur," the dwarf brothers followed the older dwarf.

When they got back to the set of rooms given to the dwarves, it seemed a large party was going on. The only ones missing were Gandalf, Thorin, and Bilbo. Fili and Kili joined in the festivities of dwarven singing and dancing, eating, drinking the Elvin wine and being as loud as they possibly could. In a matter of moments, the story of the beautiful but ill-fated princess of Rivendell was pushed from their minds.

By the time, the meeting between the Elvin king, the Dwarven king, the wizard and the hobbit had finished discussing the meaning of the runes on Thorin's map, the rest of the company had fallen sound asleep.

"If I were you, hobbit, I would sleep soundly," Thorin advised Bilbo. "We'll have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. And we will start out early."

As Bilbo got into his cot, he could be heard mumbling something about, "If I could control the way I slept, I would have been sleeping much better this entire journey." Gandalf smiled on hearing the gripes of his burglar.

Thorin tried to follow his own advice. But, he soon found out that Bilbo was correct. One cannot control the way one sleeps. Not to mention, the new knowledge that he found refused to let him rest. It just kept swirling around in his mind.

Lord Elrond had gone to his own room, but sleep didn't come quickly to the Elvin King. The thought that there was something more to the quest than just the pursuit of academic knowledge. And Soleil dominated his thoughts as well. Not to mention, there had been a pain in her eyes when she was watching Kili that had made him want to comfort the young elf. It had seemed to Elrond that the girl's eyes had been pleading with him to do something…but about what, Elrond was not sure. He doubted that even Soleil knew or had meant to betray any emotion.

Not even the two Elvin princes, Elrohir and Elladan, were sleeping well. It seemed that each time either closed their eyes all they could see was their youngest sister. More often than not, it was their youngest sister in the hands of the orcs. They knew the condition that their mother had been in when they rescued her. They could only imagine what their sister had gone through before she had finally died. If she had gone through half of what Celebrían had gone through, that death would have been a mercy.

So, when a piercing scream echoed throughout Rivendell, the best possible defenders of the palace were able to leap from their respective beds and run to the main plaza of the palace. The elves were clothed, having given up on sleep long before. And the dwarves were clothed due to the fact that they had been preparing to leave. The only one still in their night clothes was the screamer, who was none other than Soleil.

She stormed down the hallway leading up to the main area where the dwarves, Bilbo, Gandalf, Elrond, and the two Elvin princes where standing. Her eyes were shooting daggers at everyone in the group. It should also be noted, that at this time, the entire group took a collective step back.

"What did you do to me," she demanded of the group as a whole. She didn't seem to expect an answer from anyone in particular. Just an answer.

Elrond tried to diffuse the situation. "What seems to be the matter, my lady?"

"It should be obvious if you would just look at me," Soleil spoke sharply.

"Well, we would if we could see." Thorin pointed out. "However, dawn is barely breaking and we can't make out anything about you."

Soleil practically growled at the dwarf king. She marched right until she was right in front of Thorin, and then held out a lock of her long thick hair. "What color is my hair?"

After looking around at the others as if she had suddenly taken leave of her senses (something that wouldn't have surprised him, from the beginning Thorin wasn't sure if she was completely there) he squinted closely at the hair held up in front of him. "It would appear to be brown." Then he looked back at her. "What is your problem?"

"What was the color of my hair when you first met me?" Her tone suggested that Thorin was missing something important.

"Brown?"

"It was black," Soleil spoke. "As it has been for the past five hundred years. And my eyes," at this moment the sun finally peeked over the surrounding mountains and illuminated the group standing in the main gazebo area. "Have never been gold. And look at my necklace, she held it up so that the group could see.

Kili and Fili gasped in surprise, the tale of the previous night came flooding back into their memories. Elrond lost his grip on his sword and the weapon fell to the ground clattering. And Elladan and Elrohir mumbled a string of curses that caused the dwarves to look at them with new found respect. Soleil's necklace had not only changed from black diamond to a yellow diamond that shone brightly in the rising sun, but the design as well had changed to match that of the long lost Elvin princess.

"What," she asked them in a state of utter confusion.

**Please review with any thoughts/comments/ideas. I appreciate each and every one.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the long wait. I've been swamped lately. But, I convinced mom to let me take today off since I had to get up and take my SAT. I don't care what anyone says, the SAT tests should not be administered on a Saturday at seven thirty in the morning. **

**Disclaimer – If I owned **_**The Hobbit**_** I can think of a few (cough*three*cough) dwarves that would ****not**** die at the end. **

"What," Soleil repeated, the confused look on her face growing as five members of the current party couldn't take their eyes of the necklace. Almost immediately, the entire room erupted into confusion.

"Where did you get that," Elrond demanded of the female.

"Well, for as long as I can remember, I've had a black diamond necklace. When I woke up this morning, it was gone and I was wearing this. And I don't see why you're so upset. I'm the one who had my necklace replaced," her gold eyes flashed back at the Elvin king, not even the slightest trace of black in the iris of either eye.

"And why is everyone looking at me like I'm a ghost? I'm the victim of something here, not the perpetrator," she added.

Meanwhile, Thorin was questioning his nephews, trying to find out what they knew. Kili and Fili were getting the story out, albeit slowly. "And she looks exactly like the portraits," Kili finished telling his uncle.

Elladan and Elrohir were rendered as speechless as their father. "You're supposed to be dead," Elladan managed to get out.

"Dead. Why am I supposed to be dead?" the anger drained from her eyes to be replaced by confusion.

By this time, several other residents of Rivendell had arrived to where just minutes before there had been screaming. Each stopped in surprise when they saw Soleil. Even the ones that weren't old enough to have known the Princess Anon had seen her portraits in the palace, and there wasn't any doubt in their minds that this was her spirit come back.

As soon as Elrond took notice of the gathering crowd he led his sons, the dwarves, Gandalf, Bilbo, and Soleil to the place where he had read the map the night previously. In that area, they had some privacy from the curious eyes of the other elves. In the ensuing silence, all eyes were on Soleil who looked more confused than most of the dwarves.

Since there was no threat of interruption, everyone took their time in studying her. The dwarves were trying to figure out what was different than before and the elves were trying to find a way that she didn't match up to the lost princess. There were no dissimilarities except that Soleil looked older, however all features matched up.

"It's impossible," Elrond said approaching Soleil, who took a hesitant step back. This alone made the dwarves understand just how shaken up their protector was. When facing the wargs and orcs, or even Thorin, there had been no shadow of doubt in her eyes and no hesitation in her actions. However, she was currently looking very young and lost.

At this moment, Arwen entered through a side door, known only to the royal family. Elladan had sent for her before he had followed his father and brother out of the public area. At one look at Soleil she spoke softly, "Anon."

"Who's Anon," Soleil demanded. "My name is Soleil." Still, the bite that had been in her tone previously was gone. Now, she just sounded scared.

"Anon was my daughter," Elrond explained. "She's been thought dead for over half a millennia."

"Then she should stay that way," Soleil said, sounding tired. "I am sorry if my current appearance brings distress to you. But, I am not your daughter. And you should not let yourself be filled with false hope. For you can only be let down."

"But," one of the twins (none were really sure which), "what if you are really Anon. It has been said that while in Rivendell one cannot hide who they are."

"What's that supposed to mean," Thorin demanded. It sounded like another Elvish trick to him.

"That all appearance spells wear off, starting as soon as one enters the borders," Elrond said, the hope obvious in his tone.

"So, what you're saying," Balin started slowly. "Is that Soleil is not under a spell now. Rather, she's been under one for the past five hundred years."

"It would take a very powerful magician to do that," the second twin added doubtfully.

"A magician powerful enough to wipe away all memories before a certain time. And if Soleil is truly Anon, that would be roughly five hundred years worth of memories. Also, he didn't leave a trace," Gandalf pointed out. Now, any doubt that Soleil was Anon was fading away in the elves' minds. Even Gandalf and the dwarves accepted that it was probable. The only one certain that Soleil couldn't be Anon, was Soleil.

She looked at the elves sadly. "Give up this false hope. Even if I am Anon, which I highly doubt, you will only bring sadness to yourselves. I won't be the same as I once was. You can only be disappointed."

"And if you are Anon, then we'll have just left you with no family and you'll be the one left alone. We'll be no better off than before, and you will be the one to suffer." The first twin burst out. This confirmed that it was Elrohir, the more hot-headed of the twins.

Soleil's face was impassive as she answered, even the tiredness and sadness had disappeared. Now, it was a bitter smile. "I'm sure I'll manage to survive."

At this time, an two more elves burst through the main doors, quickly barring the door from any more interlopers. "Erestor. Glorfindel." Elrond greeted the new comers. **(I figured that Erestor – as Elrond's advisor – and Glorfindel – as Elrond's friend – would be able to be privy to secret meetings like this. And they would have known Anon personally.)**

Both elves looked at Anon and Erestor immediately started chanting in an elven language. Glorfindel looked at the slightly smaller brunette elf, "She's not a devil, Erestor." Soliel's impassive façade broke, showing an amused expression for a moment.

"I've faced a devil," the tall blonde warrior continued. "And there is much more fire involved." Soleil quickly rearranged her face into her nonchalant front once more.

"She must be trying to trick you, Lord Elrond," the brunette elf exclaimed. "Queen Celebrían said that she had been killed."

Arwen finally spoke, her eyes never leaving Soleil. "No. Naneth said that Anon had been takne from her soon after they were captured." All eyes turned to the tall princess. "What if they didn't kill her? For some strange reason she was spared? Then Soleil could possibly be Anon."

Soleil had meanwhile moved so that she was on the outskirts of the group. She was standing on the ledge, looking over the waterfall.

"Don't you have anything to say lass," Balin approached the elf.

"They won't listen to me." She shrugged. "They will draw their own conclusions, no matter what I say. And in the end, I shall do exactly as I wish." She smiled slightly. "As I have always done." Behind her bold words, Balin could read the lie in her eyes. He saw that inside this warrior elf, this being as brave as any dwarf, and possibly more dangerous than any dragon, was a young girl. An insecure child with no family, who was afraid of caring.

"There must be some way to prove who she is," Erestor stated. "No matter who she is. At the very least, there must be a way to determine if she's being truthful or not."

Soleil raised an eyebrow. Her tone mocking, she said, "He's not a very trustful fellow, is he?" Elrohir glared at Erestor, already convinced that Soleil was Anon and he was not going to stand by while Erestor insulted his sister. Elrond, however, seemed to be thinking over what Erestor had said.

"There might be a way to determine who she is. Or at the very least," he shot a reproving look in Erestor's direction, "determine the truth about her changed appearance." Elrond paused, making sure that he had the attention of all.

"The seeing waters with the right spell would enable us to look at Lady Soleil's memories." The reaction was not what he had expected.

Soleil didn't say anything, looking thoughtful. Thorin and the dwarves, however, stoop up for the elf. Something which Elrond had not seen coming. They had different reasons for standing up for Soleil. Kili and Fili had fallen in love with the beautiful young elf on the very first day, not to mention, the two trouble-makers felt a certain bond with the seemingly playful female. Nori and Dori felt indebted to her for saving Ori's life. The others all respected her for her refusal to be intimidated by Thorin that first day, and her fearlessness and ability when fight the orcs and wargs. Thorin, however, was defending her for an entirely different reason. When Elrond had made his suggestion, the dwarf king felt like the elf was trying to gain possession of something belonging to dwarf king. Never mind that if he ever implied Soleil belonged to him she would most likely behead him where he stood. Or that he didn't even like said elf. But, he felt now felt that she owed him a certain amount of allegiance. (It was a good thing that he didn't say this aloud or else, Soleil may have been tempted to show him just how much allegience she owed him.)

Elrond looked at the dwarves with no small amount of surprise. They were vehemently denying the elf any access to Soeliel's mind. Even his own children and Glorfindel seemed shocked by this suggestion and told him that it was an intrusion of the most personal nature and shouldn't be allowed. Erestor was the only one who appeared satisfied by this idea, declaring it the only way that the matter could be absolved.

The first to speak in any logical manner was Soleil. "If I were to agree to this," she had to silence another sound of disapproval from the dwarves. "If I were to agree to this, who would it be that would see my memories? Everyone present? All of Rivendell?"

"Only those who choose to let drink the water with you. A spell will be cast over your drink which would open your mind. The others' drinks will have been enchanted differently which would allow them to have access to your mind." Elrond explained. "And we would all agree to honor your wishes as to who shall be allowed access." Glorfindel stopped Erestor's protests before he could even open his mouth.

"And this is the only way to prove my innocence," Soleil pressed. Balin once more read the deeper meaning behind her words. She was implying that she'd allow this intrusion as a way of proving her innocent of any wrong doing. Yet, Balin knew that she was hoping maybe she could gain something from this as well. Maybe her memories back, or some knowledge of who she was. Suddenly, her sudden changes in mood the uncaring armor she had around her heart made more sense to the old dwarf. Soleil was really no more than a child, one who had been exposed to more horrors than men saw in an entire lifetime, but a child nonetheless. She needed someone to love her. A family who would love her unconditionally, who would be willing to fight for her. As the twin sons of Elrond were still doing.

"You don't have to prove anything," Dwalin growled. "You've already proven yourself to us and we don't care what a bunch of pointy-ears think about it." There was a growl of assent from the other dwarves, who were all glaring daggers at the present elves, especially Erestor. Soleil once more calmed them down.

"I'll do it," she spoke firmly. Her answer surprising everyone, except Balin. "And, I suppose Erestor must be one of those to be included," her tone sounded playful, and once more Balin picked up on the tumultuous nature, constantly changing, never sure who she really was. "Beyond that, I don't have anything to hide. I trust that all will respect my privacy and not go searching for memories that they don't require." At this point, all the dwarves and Bilbo loudly claimed that they wouldn't invade her privacy at all. All except Thorin, that is, who was curious about many things when it came to his self proclaimed protector.

"I have enough memories of my own," Glorfindel said, perhaps sensing some of the horror that he could encounter if he looked into Soleil's past. "I need no more." Bowing, he excused himself and left the room with the dwarves (excepting Thorin) and Bilbo.

"I suppose Lord Elrond and his family will also partake. That can prove or disprove my identity. That leaves Gandalf. Tell me, Gandalf, would you like to mind meld with me." The mischeiveous air that the dwarves had first noticed, (and was another trait that reminded the elves of the Princess Anon) was coming out full force. It was then that those present (for it was only Balin who had picked up on it before) realized this was how she protected herself. She would either be defensive or impish. Dangerous or playful. Off putting or enticing. But she would always keep people from seeing her true feelings.

"I do not think that I have need of it," Gandalf said. "I must agree with Lord Glorfindel. I have spent many years on Middle Earth and my memories alone will suffice for me." He exited the room, leaving Soleil, Thorin, Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir, Arwen, and Erestor.

Elrohir, Elladan and Arwen approached Soleil, as the magic water of the elves was being sent for. "We want you to know that we do not agree with Erestor and that you don't have to do this. You should not have to," Arwen told her and the prince nodded in agreement.

"I do not mind," Soleil reassured them. "The memories that are most important to me are the ones that anyone else would pass over as nonimportant. I learned long ago that the most important things are often those that seem useless, for though they are not special or unique, they're so necessary that without them, I could not imagine my life. But for you, I hope that whatever you find does not disappoint."

"It could not disappoint us. For even if you have no memories with your family in it, I know in my heart, as do my brothers, that you are Anon. I suspect my father knows this as well, though he is afraid of admitting it." Arwen said, just as Erestor came back in with the water.

**So please tell me what you think. I figured that this was a good stopping point as any, since if I put the part where they go through the memories it would add a bunch of pages and I'm not sure when Mom's gonna make me do something else. So ya'll know the drill by now. Please REVIEW with thoughts about this chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

**So, next chapter. I keep wanting to title it "Thanks for the Memories" 'cause I'm immature that way. Finally, this chapter is done. I have been working on it in little increments, trying to get it done. But with non working internet connections, broken computers, misplaced power cords ... Ugh ... I'm really starting to hate technology. Now that that's out of my system...**

**Disclaimer: If I owned _The Hobbit_ I would totally be on set right now meeting Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dean O'Gorman, and Aidan Turner.**

Once Elrond had the water, he spoke the necessary enchantments over both containers. Out of the first container, he filled one goblet, out of the second, six goblets were filled. As the seven brought the goblets to their lips, Elrond finished the spell and they all drank.

As soon as the last sip passed their lips each of the six were connected to Soleil. It was if her own memories and the feelings they brought on had become their own. There wasn't a rush or any odd feeling that accompanied this. When looking at her memories or calling upon one to relive, it was exactly like calling upon one of their own.

The first thing that sprang out in Soleil's mind to Thorin was Kili. He touched on it and immediately one of her own memories came to his mind.

_I am looking out of a window into a crowded street. The people are dressed in light material. Their skin is dark, almost the color of freshly turned dirt. I am bored and not allowed to go outside. My patron worries that my pale skin and the fact that I am so obviously a foreigner will attract unwanted attention. As I am sadly bemoaning my fate, a commotion attracts my attention._

_There seem to be two sides to it. On one side is a single man. His skin is lighter than most of the natives I have seen and his is richly dressed. On the other side of the fist fight, are many street urchins. I can see that he is outnumbered and losing badly. I send some of my guards to end the fight and bring the man to me. When he finally appears in front of me, he is not at all thankful for my intervention._

_"I could have won by myself," he tells me. "I didn't need any help." I am a bit taken aback since nobody's ever dared address me in such a manner before. I like it._

_"Of course you could have," I answer, not able to stop the smile from entering my face. "But I wanted to talk to you now. And I do not like waiting." He smiles back at me, his teeth very white against his dark skin. I know that we will be friends._

Thorin nearly gasped in shock. If it wasn't for Kili's lighter skin and being a bit shorter than the man from the memory, his nephew looked exactly like the man. Soleil's mind pulled Thorin to another memory.

_I am with Abhay**(1. See end for notes)**. Ever since I had him rescued (not that he ever admitted it) we often saw each other. Even my pets adore him. He is my one true friend in this hot desert land. I have since found out that he is a royal and we also have bonded over that. My patron has me treated like a princess and ever where he sends me, I am as respected as that country's own royalty. He's looking at me strangely and I ask what's the matter. _

_"Why do you only wear one piece of jewelry? For all the time I have known you, you have worn only that one necklace, yet I know that you have many more," he asked me._

_"I know it's mine. I have had it since I have woken up," (Abhay is one of the only ones I have told my story to) "You're right, I have many pieces of jewelry. But, I don't know where my patron has gotten it from. I don't want to be wearing someone else's jewelry. For all I know, it's owner may have been killed so that it became mine." I admit, thinking back to when I found out my patron _had_ had a noble woman of Gondor killed because she refused to sell a piece of jewelry that I had told Rizzi, (my tutor and companion) I thought was pretty._

_Abhay accepts my excuse and changes the subject._

_It is the next day. Abhay has given me a small package. When I open it, I find that it is a small pair of silver bangles studded with sapphires._

_"Now," he tells me, "you have your own bangles. Which, I assure you I have acquired by fair means." For days after, he keeps bringing me more jewelry, he keeps telling me that I'm the only one worthy of such gems. That it would have been a crime for him to allow them to bought and given them to some other female. Each time, I have tears in my eyes. No one, not even my patron, has ever shown me such kindness or affection. Due to this, I never know how to respond. But Abhay assures me that I know how I feel without my ever having to tell him._

The only reason Thorin can think of as to why this memory would come so readily to him is because Soleil often thinks of it. As his mind was pulled into the next memory, he was assaulted by such a feeling of sadness that Thorin had a very bad feeling about what he was to see.

_I love Abhay. And I have no doubt as to his feelings. I long to relinquish my Elvin immortality but he urges me to hold onto it. He will not accept my necklace and puts it back around my neck. Wait,he tells me. He is going away on a tour of his nation's borders. He says that if I still feel the same way when he returns, then he will accept my necklace. I argue that I know how I feel about him and that my feelings won't change. But he is adamant, and to placate him, I agree to wait. He leaves the next day._

_The days pass by slowly. And at nights, my dreams are troubled. I am not hungry nor do I feel like any activity. If I had any doubt before, I am now positive that I love Abhay. Without him, I feel like I have no purpose. The only reason I feel like getting up in the morning is because of the hope that he will be back soon._

_It is the fifteenth day since Abhay has left. In the morning, a caravan is spotted coming in. I am filled with dread, though I do not know why. I dismiss my fears and get ready for the day. By midday, the caravan has gotten nearer. My pets are acting strangely as well, going between refusing to move from the window and pacing around my apartments. _

_When it finally reaches the town, I see someone riding and talking to the guards at the gate. The guard leaves his post and my view of him is obscured. Soon after, I hear the bells tolling. My previous distress comes back in full force and I look out as t caravan comes close. As I am looking down, I can see a litter being carried. I become quite nervous as the procession makes its way closer and closer to me. Finally, I can see the corpse laying on bed. It is Abhay._

_I don't do anything. I can't even move as the procession moves on. I stand, still as a statue, staring at the street. Rizzi comes to me. She tells me that I must be strong. I must be unaffected. I must appear as if I don't care. If I am to live up to my patron's expectations, I must put this behind me. Forget about Abhay._

Thorin pulled his mind from Soleil's for a minute. Less boldly he returned to searching her mind for the answers that he had originally looking for. Before the mere thought of Kili had had him view the tragic story of Abhay. This time, he was looking to find out who Soleil had promised to look out for him. He remembered her mentioning being lost in caves and as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he was being pulled into another of her memories.

_I am NOT lost, I tell myself. I know I will find my way out eventually. I wish I had brought Celeste **(2)**, my large cat, with me. She would be able to get me out of this cave with no problem. I hold my hand out and whisper a spell that lights a flame in my hand. I hold my palm up as high as I can get t. Which, admittedly, isn't all that high. I recognize none of my surroundings and can sense no fresh air or passageway to the surface. _

_I select a passage at random and start down it, determined to get out of this labyrinth if it is the last thing I do. I continue on this path, and end up more lost than when I started. I hear a noise down a passage that I am passing and I go down it, confident that I can handle myself against any enemy. After all, an orc wouldn't dare attack me and against an animal, I have over four hundred years of swordplay in my history. _

_I am surprised to find that it is an old dwarf. One who appears so ancient that I find it odd that he should still be living. He is just as surprised to see me as I am to find him. He looks at me in suspicion. And I am struck by his plight. He looks like a breath of wind would knock him over and yet I can see it in his eyes that he would be willing to fight me if need be._

_"Who are ye?" his voice is rough with age, yet he holds himself with the air of nobility._

_"My name is Soleil," I answer, curtsying as if we were not in a dark, dank cavern and he were not a broken old man but rather a grand palace and he a king. _

_"An Elvin name," he spits out. _

_"Yes," I agree, humoring him. "I assure you though. I had no part in choosing which race I was a part of. If I had, I would have chosen I race with a shorter life time." _

_"Ye do your race a credit. Not pompous at all. Not at all," he speaks slowly, and his eyes reflect the insanity that affects his mind. I am filled with sympathy at the state that he is in._

_"Now, what are ye doing here in such a dark place, lassie. This is not a place for anyone, especially not a young girl. Even a dwarf would dislike this place and elves are not as accustomed to being underground as my own race." _

_"I am afraid that I am lost," I admit to him what I would not admit to even myself._

_"Ah...ye are different from other elves. Willing to admit that ye are not perfect," I refrain from raising an eyebrow at him. I do not fault him for having no large amount of love for my race. To an elf the ruin of Erebor would be recent and to this dwarf who must have been alive during that time it would probably seem like yesterday. Especially to a dwarf who seems so lost in his mind._

_"I will show ye the way out, for ye seem like a good lassie, especially for an elf," this time I cannot keep the smile off of my face._

_"Thank you, kind father," I say truthfully. I am honestly quite grateful for his help. As an elf, I have no love of being underground and though I do not suffer from claustrophobia I am getting tired of the cramped quarters of this rocky prison. The dwarf takes off without another word and I am slightly surprised by his strength and ability to move so easily around the obstacles in our way. I did not have trouble keeping up with him but, I would not have thought such an old creature could move so quickly in such a place. I shrug my surprise away, he is a dwarf after all. _

_"Here ye go lass," he tells me. "Just around this turn will be the exit."_

_"Come with me," I urge the old dwarf. "I can make sure that you are content for the rest of your days."_

_"My days grow shorter, lassie, and I want to die underground, where I have spent most of my life. I don't expect ye to understand," he says, cutting off my protests, "since you're an elf. But underground to me is what being outdoors is to you, young elf." I smile at the man, I am undoubtedly older than the dwarf. I have most likely been around for longer than at least two of his forefathers. "But I appreciate ye kindness."_

_"Is there anything I can do for you," I ask. I doubt there there is anything. After all, what can I do for him. _

_"There is one thing," I wait curiously. "My son. He's a good fellow, but I'm worried about him. He has such a heavy burden on his young shoulders. I'm afraid that he might let his hotheadedness influence his decisions."_

_"Of course," I say. After all, how hard could it be, looking out for a dwarf. He wouldn't even be alive all that long in comparison to my life span. Anyway, I doubt he's going to be leading all that interesting of a life. "What's his name?" I ask. _

_I see suspicion cloud the old dwarf's eyes as his mind takes him some where far away. "Get away from me ye nosy pointy-ear. Don't be asking no questions about the dwarves. The line of Durin answers to no one." He comes at me and with sorrow in my heart for the old man, I quickly leave the tunnels and enter the light of day. His last words echoing in my mind, 'the line of Durin'._

Thorin abruptly pulled his mind from Soleil's, choking back a sob. It had torn his heart to see his father like this. Yet, he felt a stronger connection to Soleil for the kindness and respect she had shown Thrain. He was hesitant about looking at the final memory he had originally intended to search for. Each time he had looked at a part of his past, he was disturbed by some element in it. When Soleil met Thorin's eyes, it was if she could read his mind, though he had been the one looking at her memories. For a long minute, Thorin was at war with himself. After all, his more reasonable side told him, he didn't really need to see this memory. Finally, letting his curiosity get the better of him, he looked into Soleil's mind one last time. Seeing himself through another's eyes is almost enough of a shock to make him pull out.

_The dwarves are stopping to rest at an abandoned farmhouse. There building is nothing more than a burned out shell. I don't need Celeste's or Feucoeur's **(3)** nose to be able to smell the stench of troll permeating the air. I want to tell the dwarves to move on, that there is another place to camp but eight miles from here, and close to running water.  
At the same time, I know not to come out of hiding. The dwarf leader, Thorin, is angry; that much I can tell from the way he holds himself. He and Gandalf are exchanging harsh words. In an effort to avoid detection, I am to far away to hear what is being said. (Though I could be standing ten feet from their campsite and they probably would not see me, I have decided that it is best not to take a chance.) _

_The wizard is storming angrily off, brushing the hobbit off. Thorin is pouting in the carcass of the farmhouse. The other dwarves are going about their business, ignoring the wizard, the hobbit, and their leader. (So, would I if I had the option.) I have found out that dwarves are not very interesting creatures in the time I have been following them, they only ever brood, smoke, eat, brood, smoke, sleep, brood, smoke, work, oh yes...brood and smoke some more. I never watched them before the whole fiasco with Smaug and Erebor so maybe they were different before. I wonder how someone could be so attached to a place though. I much rather not have any place I need to go back to. Be as free as the wind, never staying too long in any place never having any connections. I am lost in my own thoughts, my senses would alert me to any potentional danger without my actually having to pay attention. And Feucoeur and Celeste were both alert, I can tell from their slightly agitated behaviour that they can sense the presence of a troll. _

_When I finally start paying attention to the dwarves again, they are eating. The hobbit takes bowls off into the woods for the two boys sent to look after the ponies. They probably are men to the dwarves but to and elf, a dwarf's lifespan (or that of any being of another race) is that of a flower, lasting only a season. Compared to myself, they are still young when they die, even if they are the oldest of their race. I watch, disinterested before realizing that it has taken the hobbit a long time to return. I send Celeste to the woods, knowing that against anything large she'll be better than Feucoeur. Even as my cat goes off in the direction of the horses, the two young dwarves come bursting into the campsite, hobbitless. They are shouting loud enough for me to hear; the trolls had not left the area after taking care of the farmer and his family. _

_I pull off my angelite **(4) **ring and tie it around Feucoeur's neck, and tell him to go after the wizard. Hopefully the wizard will recognize the gem and be smart enough to put the ring on. Meanwhile, I follow the dwarves into the woods, close enough that I can see what's going on and go to their aid if they should need me, but far enough away that they will not see me. The resulting fight is brief. When the trolls get the hobbit none seem willing to risk his life, except perhaps for Thorin and the bald dwarf. I nock two arrows in my bow and aim at the bigger trolls eyes. Thorin may be willing to leave the hobbit to being teared apart but I will not. After a moment's hesitation, though, Thorin throws down his sword and the rest follow suit. _

_I wait patiently as the trolls starting trussing up the dwarves to boil them, roast them, or squash them into jelly (depending on which troll comesout victorious in the arguement), I know that if I go rushing in now, there is the possibility of one of the trolls killing a dwarf, and that from my distance nothing short of getting an eye or possibly a throat will be able to kill one instantly. Also, I don't particularly want to reveal myself. Explaining why I didn't stop Bilbo from getting caught would be more effort than its worth. So, I sit and wait._

_After a few hours, I can feel the opening of a mind to me. Feucoeur has gotten the ring to Gandalf who, thank the Valar, knows what to do with it. I do not give him time to talk, I don't want to have to explain myself to him either. I speak quickly, telling him that Thorin is about to do something stupid. (I don't want to panic him by telling him that Thorin has already done something stupid. After all, if it comes to it, I could probably kill the trolls.) I instruct him to return to the clearing and pull my mind away from his immediately after. _

_I stay near the dwarves, waiting for Gandalf to return. One of the trolls finally won the arguement and the dwarves are being roasted. It takes a while for the fire to get hot enough, and an even longer while to get the dwarves to cooperate. Apparently, they don't want to be eaten. Who would have suspected? After a half hour has passed, the hobbit, Bilbo, gets up and starts talking to the trolls. He is stalling for time, and I am torn beteen respecting the hobbit for his bravery and ingenuity and disgust, for he cannot tell a lie at all. Not even to save a life, apparently. The dwarves do not pick up on what Bilbo is doing at first, and after he has insulted them a few times, they get annoyed by him. Finally, after insulting him back, they seem to realize what he's doing. _

_The trolls after being taken in by these horrible lies (I must teach the hobbit to lie better if I can get him out of this) finally seem to understand that they are being fooled. However, right as I am about to shoot one before they can eat the poor burglar, Feacoeur comes to my side and I know that Gandalf is here._

_In a blinding (quite literally) flair of dramatics, Gandalf appears and brakes the the rock he is standing on, resulting in the trolls turning to stone. I scoff to myself. I would have done it in a less theatrical way. After the dwarves are released and reclothed in some cases, Thorin confronts Gandalf. I could not hear Thorin since I have retreated some distance. Now that the dwarves are loose and are not threatened with death, they are more likely to notice me. Gandalf's reply, however, is quite easily heard by all._

_"I was told that you were about to do something very dumb."_

_Oh, bugger._

He stared at the young elleth for a moment and as he met her eyes, Thorin instinctively knew that Soleil was well aware of what he had looked at. That she knew exactly what each being was seeing and living over in her mind. He bowed to this young being of a strength which he respected and left quietly.

**Okay to sum up a couple things. **

**1. _Abhay_ is Hindu for _fearless_.**

**_Celeste_ is French for _heavenly_**

**3. I combined the French words for fire (_feu_) and heart (_coeur)_** **to get Feucoeur's name**

**4. Angelite was used to increase telepathy. And as everyone could probably guess Galadriel is Soleil's maternal grandmother, so the ability to communicate without speaking was in her family. The angelite ring, therefore, would help her communicate telepathically over greater distance. Also, Gandalf probably couldn't have gone very far ahead.**

**XXXXXXX**

**Also, I won't be writing which memories of Soleil's Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir, Arwen, or Erestor were looking at for a couple of reasons. **

**1) What Erestor finds out isn't all that important (he does find out that Soleil wasn't trying to pull a fast one on Elrond). **

**2) What Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen look at is more a collage of memories. They were trying to find parallels between Soliel and Anon. (They found more than enough. Soleil is indeed Anon.) **

**3) The two main reasons for this chapter was a) to build a bridge between Thorin and Soleil and b) Elrond discovering information about Soleil which will come into play later but all my lovely readers are going to find out about Soleil's past with Thorin. **


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